The Celts (1)
Hello again, friends. In the weeks head, I’m going to do a series of
Litrichean about the Celts. Gaelic is a Celtic language. At one time,
the Celts were a powerful people in Europe.
The Celts were in existence a long time ago. They were present in the
Bronze Age and Iron Age. They were in the middle of Europe, where
France is today and in Britain and Ireland.
We’re going to start our account in the year 390 BC. The Celtic tribes
in the middle of the continent were involved in emigration. They were
looking for new lands. Some of them crossed the Alps. They sacked the
city of Rome.
And the Celtic tribes were also moving eastward. There were Celtic
ambassadors in the court of Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia. In
279 BC, they entered Greece. They went as far as Delphi, a holy town.
But the Celts didn’t remain there. The Greeks were attacking them all
the time. The Celts lost their leader and they returned to the Celtic
lands.
But something else happened that weakened the Celtic army in Greece.
Many of them left – around twenty thousand people – for Anatolia.
Anatolia is a large country the Romans called Asia Minor. Today it’s in
Turkey.
Why did these Celts decide to go to Anatolia? Well, they were invited to go
there. There was a Greek king in Anatolia – Nicomedes 1, King of Bithynia.
He invited those Celts to cross the narrows near Byzantium (where Istanbul
is today). They continued to Anatolia, where Ankara, the capital of Turkey,
is today. They settled there. There were three large tribes and other small
tribes. They all spoke the same language – a Celtic language. They gave
their name to the area in which they settled – Galatia. I’ll tell you more
about the Galatians next week.
Na Ceiltich (1)
Halò, a-rithist, a chàirdean. Anns na seachdainean romhainn, tha mi a’ dol
a dhèanamh sreath Litrichean air na Ceiltich. ʼS e cànan Ceilteach a tha
anns a’ Ghàidhlig. Uaireigin, bha na Ceiltich nan sluagh cumhachdach anns
an Roinn Eòrpa.
Bha na Ceiltich ann o chionn fhada. Bha iad ann ri Linn an Umha agus ri
Linn an Iarainn. Bha iad ann am meadhan na Roinn Eòrpa, far a bheil an
Fhraing an-diugh agus ann am Breatainn is Èirinn.
Tha sinn a’ dol a thòiseachadh ar cunntais anns a’ bhliadhna trì cheud is
naochad (390) ro Chrìosd. Bha na treubhan Ceilteach ann am meadhan na
mòr-thìr an sàs ann an eilthireachd. Bha iad a’ coimhead airson dùthchannan
ùra. Chaidh feadhainn dhiubh tarsainn nam Beanntan Ailpeach. Rinn iad
sgrios air baile na Ròimhe.
Agus bha treubhan Ceilteach cuideachd a’ gluasad gu sear. Bha tosgairean
Ceilteach ann an cùirt Alasdair Uaibhrich, rìgh Mhasadoinia. Ann an dà
cheud, seachdad ʼs a naoi (279) RC, chaidh iad a-steach don Ghrèig. Chaidh
iad cho fada ri Delphi, baile naomh. Ach cha do dh’fhuirich na Ceiltich an
sin. Bha na Greugaich a’ toirt ionnsaigh orra fad na h-ùine. Chaill na
Ceiltich an ceannard aca agus chaidh iad air ais gu na dùthchannan
Ceilteach.
Ach thachair rudeigin eile a lagaich armailt nan Ceilteach anns a’ Ghrèig.
Dh’fhalbh mòran dhiubh – timcheall air fichead mìle duine – gu ruige
Anatoilia. ʼS e Anatoilia dùthaich mhòr ris an canadh na Ròmanaich Asia Minor. An-diugh tha e anns an Tuirc.
Carson a chuir na Ceiltich seo romhpa a dhol gu Anatoilia? Uill, fhuair iad
cuireadh a dhol ann. Bha Rìgh Greugach ann an Anatoilia – fear Nicomedes I,
Rìgh Bhithynia. Thug esan cuireadh do na Ceiltich sin a dhol tarsainn a’
chaolais faisg air Byzantium (far a bheil Istanbul an-diugh). Lean iad orra
gu meadhan Anatoilia, far a bheil Ankara, prìomh bhaile na Tuirc, an-diugh.
Rinn iad tuineachadh an sin. Bha trì treubhan mòra ann, agus treubhan beaga
a bharrachd. Bha an aon chànan aca – cànan Ceilteach. Thug iad an ainm don
sgìre anns an do rinn iad tuineachadh – Galatia. Bidh tuilleadh agam air na
Galatianaich an-ath-sheachdain.
